The Presidential Order on Retirement Pension in Mainland Tanzania: A Case for Regulatory Reform

In 2018, the president of the United Republic of Tanzania suspended the application of the formula for calculating retirement pension which is provided under the Social Security Schemes (Benefits) Regulations 2018. This is for a period of five years. About 58,000 members of pension funds will retire during this period. While the president has given such an order, it is the implementation that is in question. The regulations that the president has suspended are still in force because no other regulations have been put in place. There has never been a formal declaration in writing to this date or any law in force that has suspended the application of the regulations. This in itself, puts the pension provision of the expected retirees during this transitional period in jeopardy. Should they be paid in accordance with the current law, will they have a cause of action? The answer is probably’ No’. There is a common phrase in Tanzania which says, “the government does not conduct its activities through the word of mouth”. Therefore, this Article addresses such concerns and provides recommendations on the topic.